Strange Justice
by malic124
Summary: In the aftermath of the shooting at the end of Ghost, Brendan Hopkins must work with the police to discover the motive behind his old friend's actions and must choose whether or not he can help his friend.
1. Flashback

The phone rang twice before Nat did anything. Knowing that Brendan wouldn't wake up unless he did something, Brendan gently shook his friend.

"Brendan," he whispered. "Brendan wake up."

Brendan, who was sitting on a recliner next to Nat's hospital bed, stirred.

"What is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Your phone is ringing."

Brendan sat up from his recliner and grabbed his phone out of his jacket, which Alex had been using as a blanket, since he was sleeping on Nat's bed.

"Hello?" answered Brendan "Detective Lewis, what is it?" A few seconds later, Brendan gasped and stood up quickly from the recliner.

**12 Hours Earlier**

_Jack walked into Nat's hospital room, where Brendan and Alex were standing next to Nat's bed. Brendan turned when he saw his friend._

"_Jack, thank you for coming."_

"_Of course. As soon as I heard, I got on the next plane back to New York. I had all of my stuff packed, anyway, so I was ready to go. What happened?"_

"_Nat was attacked by some of Calvert's men last night at my house. I guess they found out about the trial and weren't happy with the outcome. They also seemed to know they'd have a hard time getting after you, so they decided to come after me instead. Nat went to the bathroom while the rest of us were in my living room talking. Alex went to go check on Nat when he had been gone about five minutes. He couldn't find Nat in the bathroom, and started looking around. He saw Nat being held in a chokehold by one of the three men, outside in my garden. Alex ran back into the living room and told me what he saw, so I went out there to confront them. I managed to take down two of the men quickly and had subdued the third. I went back to Nat, who had been thrown at me and who I had lay on the ground, when the leader snuck up behind me and grabbed me."_

"_Is it true he had a gun?" Jack asked._

"_Yes. That was the only reason I wasn't able to stop him. He grabbed me and held the gun to my head. Right when he got a hold of me, Detective Lewis arrived and had his own gun on the guy. I kept him distracted long enough for his partner to arrive and subdue the guy. We came straight here afterward in order for Nat to heal from his injuries."_

_Jack sighed. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Nat."_

"_It's okay, Jack. I'm just fine."_

"_What about you?" Jack asked, facing Brendan again. _

"_I'm okay. I'm just glad that nobody else got hurt."_

_Jack nodded before turning to leave the room. "I'm gonna make sure that nobody else gets hurt."_

Brendan hung his phone up and looked at Nat with a look of shock etched onto his face.

"What is it?" Nat asked.

"Something's happened at the police station. They said that Jack had a gun and was shooting at the men who attacked you last night."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah. They've got a taxi coming to collect me now. They need me to come down there for some reason. I'm sorry, guys. I'd stay if I could, but it sounds like they really need me down there."

Nat nodded. "Go. Find out what happened. Make sure Jack is okay."

"What about you?"

"He's fine," Alex said, sitting up on Nat's bed. "I'll be here with him until you get back."

"Just go, Brendan. It'll be okay here."

Brendan nodded and dashed out of the room.

**2 p.m. that day — Six Hours Earlier**

_The door to the interrogation room opened and Calvert walked in, dressed in a prison outfit with his arms and legs shackled. His attorney was nowhere to be found._

_"What the hell do you want?" he asked when he saw Jack._

_"You have some explaining to do," Jack replied, a look of malice etched onto his face._

_"For what? Why I shot you?" Calvert laughed as the officer escorting him helped him into the chair across the table from Jack. "Obviously, because I was paid to!"_

_"I know that, you moron," snarled Jack. "I need you to tell me why your men would attack one of my friends and not go after me."_

_"Probably because my friends are smart enough to know that attacking you wouldn't mean anything. No, to really get underneath your skin, they would go after one of your friends to send a message."_

_"What about those idiots you had come after me a few months ago that my friend took care of?"_

_"They were merely following orders from three years ago. I told them if you had survived, they were tasked with sending you a message to remind you who you were dealing with."_

_"And yet, they still tried to kill me." Jack pointed out._

_Calvert chuckled. "It would've been one less person to testify against me. Or maybe they thought I wanted you dead. That couldn't be further from the truth: I wanted you to suffer, not be dead. This way you'd be too afraid to testify against me. Obviously that failed."_

_"It would have failed anyway, Calvert. The police could have forced me to testify against you."_

_Calvert nodded._

_"And what about the three men who attacked my friend last night? The last ones of your group?"_

_"Them?" Calvert said, an air of thoughtfulness evident in his tone. "They would have merely wanted to seek revenge against you for what you did to put me away."_

_"Then why not attack me directly?"_

_"They did it to punish you. Let you taste some of what they were feeling about me. Feel helpless about a situation you couldn't change. Yet, they underestimated you friend, even after they pulled the gun, I hear."_

_"And they will be the last," Jack said, abruptly standing up and leaving the room._

Brendan walked into the squadroom, escorted by a uniformed officer. All around him were signs of something occurring in the squadroom recently. Papers were scattered on the floor, officers were running around trying to find something to fix, three people were being wheeled away on stretchers.

Once in the center of the squadroom, he spotted Chase standing alone, with a grave expression on his face. Brendan walked over to him and noticed a window was shattered a little to the right of Chase. When he reached him, Chase merely looked at the ground, as if waiting for it to do something spectacular. He didn't seem to notice Brendan.

"What the hell happened here?" Brendan asked, looking around.

Chase looked up at him. "I have no idea," he replied.


	2. Motive

"What happened here?" Brendan asked again. "You claimed that Jack had a gun when you were on the phone with me."

Chase finally looked up from the floor and nodded at Brendan. "He came in here to see who the perps were that attacked you and your friends last night. Olivia showed him where they were in our holding cell. After they were done, I saw her walk Jack back to the elevator and she came back in. That's when it happened."

"When _what_ happened?"

"Jack was firing shots into the holding cell at the perps. Olivia yelled for him to stop, but he wouldn't. I went for my gun and he then turned and shot out this window," Chase explained, gesturing to the hole to his right where a window that led into the squad's captain's office used to be. "Once he turned and faced me, I pulled my gun on him and yelled for him to stop. Everything seemed fine. He looked like he was gonna drop the gun. And then one of the perps taunted him, saying they should have went after him instead of you."

"So you shot him?" Brendan asked, a look of revulsion on his face.

Chase shook his head. "But believe me, I was close to doing it. Somehow, when I was yelling for Jack to drop his gun, Olivia must have walked up behind him, because suddenly, I heard her speaking to him behind him. I hesitated and waited for something to happen. Eventually, Jack just dropped his gun and let himself be detained."

"You put him under arrest?"

"Not yet. Olivia took him to one of the interrogation rooms to talk. I called you as soon as I made sure everyone in here was okay. I thought you should know."

Brendan nodded. "Thank you, detective. Can I see him?"

"Follow me," said Chase. He turned and led Brendan through the squadroom. At the back of the squadroom, there were several interrogation rooms. Chase led Brendan to one of the larger rooms, in a small hallway to the left of the other rooms. Once in front of the room, Chase turned the volume up on the speaker connected to the room. Brendan looked inside and saw Jack sitting in front of Olivia with a blank expression on his face.

"So Jack, you visited Calvert earlier today after you saw Brendan, Nat and Alex at the hospital?"

"That's right."

"And what happened in that meeting?"

"I asked him why his cronies would have attacked one of my friends instead of me," Jack explained in a deadpan voice. "He told me that they would have wanted to send a message to me."

"And what message is that?"

"That I needed to see a situation like they saw the result of Calvert's trial. I needed to know what it felt like to feel hopeless about a situation that I couldn't change. That's why Nat and Brendan were attacked last night."

Brendan sighed. "He probably wanted revenge for what happened last night," he whispered.

"Where did you get the gun, Jack?" asked Olivia.

Jack hesitated for a moment before answering. "It was easy," he said. "I just found someone on the street who was looking to sell some guns. I grabbed the first one I saw, paid him in cash and left. I don't remember where it was, so good luck tracing it."

Brendan felt sickened at what he just heard. He had to listen carefully to Olivia's next question, since his mind was blowing up with questions.

"Why did you do this?"

Jack looked up and seemed to be looking right at Brendan.

"Brendan's out there, isn't he?" he asked.

"Maybe. I don't know for sure. But if he is, I'm sure he'd like to know why you did this, Jack."

Jack continued to look at Brendan, as if he knew that Brendan was standing there.

"I'm sorry, Brendan," said Jack solemnly. "I didn't know what else to do. I had to avenge what happened to you last night. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt, so I decided to take care of Calvert's men myself. I'm sorry."

Brendan closed his eyes and breathed heavily. He felt like he might faint if he heard anymore. Chase noticed this.

"Are you okay?"

"No. I never expected this from Jack. How he could have done this is totally beyond me."

In the interrogation room, Brendan watched as Olivia stood up and walked over to Jack. She pulled out her handcuffs and put them on Jack's hands. Olivia helped him up and escorted him out of the room. Chase opened the door for them and they walked out. When he saw Brendan, Jack looked relieved.

"Brendan. I'm sorry," he said in a tone much different from the one had confessed in. It sounded almost like he was pleading. "You have to believe me. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't just stand by and let them get away with what they did to you."

"They weren't going to," Olivia explained. "Had they gone to trial as scheduled, they would have been convicted of assault and gone to jail."

"That wasn't good enough," said Jack, still looking at Brendan. "You have to believe me, Brendan. I just wanted them to suffer for what they did to you. I didn't do this to kill them. I did this to avenge you and Nat."

Jack continued looking at Brendan with longing in his eyes. Brendan merely glared back at him, lost for words. When he finally found his voice, Brendan spoke quietly.

"Who are you?" he asked. "The person who did that is not the friend I know, the one I protected. I don't know you anymore."

Jack looked crestfallen and started to cry. "No, please don't say that, Brendan! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Brendan shook his head and looked away. Olivia sighed and pulled Jack away to take him into a holding cell. Jack continued yelling apologies at Brendan, who closed his eyes and tried to ignore Jack's pleas. Once they couldn't hear Jack's cries anymore, Chase walked over to Brendan and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine," Brendan replied, close to tears. "Can you please take me back to the hospital? I want to be with my friends now."

* * *

Back in Nat's hospital room, Brendan walked over to Nat's bed. Both Nat and Alex were still awake, waiting for his return.

"Did it happen?" Nat asked when Brendan stood beside the bed.

Brendan didn't seem like he could answer verbally and just nodded his head. He broke down after that and sat on the bed. Nat pulled him into a hug with Alex and they both patted him on the back telling him over and over, "It's okay. It's okay."


	3. Arraignment

A knock came from the door. Brendan ran over to it, annoyed that someone was coming to call when he was about to leave to go to court. He knew that Jack's arraignment was going to be held that day and wanted to attend it. He wasn't sure why he wanted to go, but he felt like had to know what was going to happen to his old friend before Jack went on trial.

Brendan looked in the peephole on his front door and saw Nat and Alex standing on his porch. He unlocked and opened the door, smiling in spite of himself.

"Hey guys, come on in," he said, motioning for them to enter. "I'm just getting ready for Jack's arraignment. What's up?"

"We want to go with you," said Alex, once Nat had closed the door behind them and followed Brendan into the living room.

"What?"

"We want to be with you at the arraignment," Nat said.

"You guys don't have to do that. I'll be fine going there by myself."

"You sure about that?" asked Nat.

Brendan looked at his friends and hesitated. He knew he couldn't fool Nat and Alex, so he nodded.

"I guess I can use some company," he said.

"That's what I thought," said Nat, smiling. "We'll just wait here while you finish getting ready."

* * *

An hour later, Brendan sat in a courtroom next to Nat and Alex. The room was full of prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as various police officers and reporters. Brendan was surprised they managed to find seats, giving how crowded the room was. The room was so full that he didn't notice Chase and Olivia approach and sit down behind them until Olivia spoke to him.

"Brendan, I'm glad you're here," she said in his ear. Brendan jumped and whipped around. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. How's Jack doing?"

"He keeps asking about you," Olivia said solemnly. "He wants you to know how sorry he is for what he did. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you here."

"I just hope he doesn't cause another scene."

At that, a court officer yelled for order.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Lena Petrovsky," the officer shouted.

The room quieted as everyone stood up while the judge entered the courtroom and made her way to the bench. Once she was seated, she called for everyone else to be seated and nodded at her court officer. Brendan notice Casey Hoskinson standing at the table to his right, in front of the judge, and saw a woman he didn't know standing with Jack at the opposite table.

"Docket ending number 79167," the bailiff announced, "The People versus Jack Michael Gray. Three counts attempted murder in the first degree. One count illegal possession of a firearm."

The bailiff handed an envelope to Judge Petrovsky, who quickly examined it before looking at Casey.

"Casey Hoskinson for The People," Casey said in a powerful voice.

"Cindy Michaels for The Defense," called the woman standing next to Jack.

"Always a pleasure to have you in my courtroom, Miss Michaels," Judge Petrovsky said with an air of sarcasm. "How does your client plead?"

"Not guilty, Your Honor."

"I'll hear The People on bail, Miss Hoskinson."

"Remand," Casey said. "The defendant entered a police squadroom with a weapon and tried to kill three men in a holding cell, meaning they posed no threat to him or anyone else."

"That's hardly ground for remand, Your Honor," said Cindy Michaels. "My client is not a flight risk, has ties to the community and has no financial means to escape. He's a high school student who just returned from the Witness Protection Program, which put him in hiding for three years."

"All of that adding up to no reason for remand to be granted," Judge Petrovsky said. "Are The People prepared to set a bail amount for the Defendant?"

"$50,000" Casey said, not missing a beat.

"Outrageous, Your Honor," Cindy Michaels said. "Like I just said, my client has no financial means. I request my client be released upon his own recognizance."

"Based on the charges against the Defendant, I'm uncomfortable merely granting him ROR," said Judge Petrovsky. "However, I do not think he poses much threat to himself. I am ordering the Defendant be fitted with an ankle monitor. He is to be confined to his home at all times, unless escorted by an officer of law. If he violates these terms, he will be found in contempt of court and arrested."

"The People have no objection," Casey said, sounding irritated.

"That will do, Your Honor," added Cindy.

"Then the Defendant is hereby ROR. Bailiff, please escort him from the courtroom and fit him with an ankle bracelet. Trial is set to begin September 18th. We'll take a ten-minute recess before the next case."

Judge Petrovsky banged her gavel. Brendan glanced over at Jack, and saw Cindy Michaels whispering something in his ear. When she pulled away from Jack, Jack looked over and saw Brendan sitting in the audience.

"Brendan!" he shouted. "Please forgive me! I'm sorry for what I did!" Jack tried to run over to Brendan, but was grabbed by the bailiff. "Brendan, please! You have to believe me! I'm sorry!"

Brendan closed his eyes and waited as he heard Jack being escorted out of the courtroom. When all was quiet, he still kept his eyes closed.

"He's gone," Alex whispered in his ear. "It's okay, now."

Brendan nodded and opened his eyes. The court was clearing for the next case to be heard. He stood up and followed Nat and Alex out of the courtroom. Once in the hallway outside the courtroom, they saw Chase and Olivia talking to Casey. They walked over to them when Olivia beckoned them over.

"Are you all right, Brendan?" Olivia asked in a concerned voice.

"I'll be fine," Brendan whispered.

"I'll need you to testify during Jack's trial, Brendan," said Casey. "You think you'll be up for that?"

Brendan nodded.

Casey smiled. "Good. I'll be in touch when I need you to testify. Don't worry about testifying until then. We'll go over everything when that time comes."

Brendan nodded again as Casey walked away with the officers. Once they were gone, Nat turned to Brendan.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked.

"I don't know," whispered Brendan. "I know it's weird, but I still feel bad for him. I wish that he didn't have to go through this."

Nat nodded. "You were friends with him for years. It makes sense that you would be concerned for him. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, don't worry about that, Brendan," added Alex. "Just take care of yourself and you'll be okay. And if you need anything, we'll be there with you."

Brendan smiled and pulled his friends into another hug. "Thanks, guys."


	4. Forgiveness

"Are you sure I'm doing the right thing?" Brendan asked Nat.

They were in Brendan's living room; Brendan's mother had left the house earlier that morning for errands. Brendan had called Nat and Alex to come to his house to get their opinion on whether or not he should talk to Jack about what had happened. Since Jack was confined to his home, he figured he'd just go over there and see if he could talk with his old friend.

"Of course you are," Nat said. "You've got to talk to him at some point, and what better time to do it while he's not on trial?"

"What do I say to him?"

"Just be honest," said Alex. "He deserves that. Even after all you've been through lately."

"I'm not sure he will want to talk to me, though."

"He will. You saw him during his arraignment," Nat said. "He's desperate to talk to you. I'm telling you, Brendan, Jack will be overjoyed to see you."

"Okay," Brendan said, sighing and nodding. "I'll do it. Can you guys stay here and wait for me?"

"We'll be here," said Nat. "Just do what you have to do."

* * *

Brendan knocked on the door to Jack's house. A few seconds later, Jack's mother, Kelly, opened the door. She didn't look surprised to see Brendan.

"Brendan," she said, nodding at him and smiling warmly.

"Mrs. Wells. Is he here?"

"He's not allowed to go anywhere. He's sitting in his room. Go on up and see him."

Brendan nodded and entered the house. He walked over to the staircase and treaded up them, taking the all-too-familiar path to Jack's bedroom. When he reached Jack's room, he knocked on it three times."

"Who is it?" came Jack's voice from within.

"It's me," Brendan replied quietly.

"Brendan!" Jack exclaimed. Brendan heard him scurrying in his room to answer the door. A few seconds later, the door swung open and Jack excitedly beckoned him into his room. Brendan entered the room while Jack closed the door behind him and motioned for him to sit on his bed. Brendan sat on the bed and Jack sat down after turning down his music, which he had been playing loudly.

"I'm so glad you're here," Jack said, in the same excited tone. "I thought you would never forgive me for what I did."

"I don't know if I have yet, Jack," said Brendan in a somber tone. Jack looked crestfallen at this. "I know you had you reasons for what you did, Jack, and I have to know why you did this."

Jack sighed deeply before responding. "I'm not even sure why I did it, Brendan. I think I was just so sick of dealing with Calvert and his men that I decided to put an end to it myself."

"Even though the guys who attacked Nat and I were already in jail? Even though the police were going to take care of everything?"

Jack nodded. "That wasn't enough for me. I was just so angry with them for what they've done to us that I thought there was no other way of dealing with it."

"What happened when you visited Calvert in jail?"

"He told me why they would have attacked you instead of me. They did it so I could feel helpless about a situation, just like they felt about Calvert's sentence."

"Is that all that happened?"

"Yes," Jack replied, nodding. "I think he must have gotten into my head, because right after he told me that, I snapped. I don't know what it was, but I suddenly felt the urge to get revenge for you. That's when I found the street vendor selling the gun. I knew that the police weren't likely to search me, since I was a victim of a crime. I got lucky, though. I was about to be searched with the desk sergeant recognized me and told the other officer to back off and let me on the elevator. And….well, you know what happened then."

Brendan shut his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I can't condone what you did, Jack, but I understand it. I know you were just trying to help me, but that doesn't mean I approve of what you did."

"I get it," Jack interrupted. "If you came here to tell me you're never gonna speak to me again, I'll understand. I just needed to know that. And I needed you to know that I am sorry for what I did. You may not believe it, but I am sorry, Brendan. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"I know you didn't, Jack, which is why I think I am able to forgive you for what you did, even though I can't condone it."

"So you're saying we're still friends?" Jack asked excitedly.

"We've been friends for as long as I can remember. You have no idea how much you mean to me. When you were 'killed' by Calvert, I didn't think that I could go on. It took me a long time to get over that, even though I knew you weren't dead. I don't think I ever did get over it. And when you called my name out during that concert a few months ago, I almost panicked. I was worried that they had found you and you needed my help again. I spent the rest of the night worrying until you told me that they had the man who shot you. Even then, I was still worried about you. I didn't want to see you get hurt again. And that's why I agreed to protect you. You're one of my best friends, Jack. I don't want to lose you."

At that, Brendan started to choke up as he spoke. "When Detective Lewis called me and told me what you did, I couldn't believe it. I tried to deny it. But when I heard the seriousness in his voice, I knew it had to be true. And when I saw him at the squadroom and he told me what happened, I knew. And that's when I thought I had lost you, Jack. The friend I knew so well seemed to be gone. But I realize now how foolish that was. You weren't gone. You just left for a little bit and came back the moment I came to the squadroom.

"So yes, Jack, I do forgive you. I know that you didn't mean to hurt those men. I'm sorry that it happened, but I can forgive you, even if I can't condone what you did."

Jack wiped a tear from his cheek before leaning forward and pulling Brendan into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed into Brendan's shoulder.

"I know, I know," Brendan whispered back. "It's okay, Jack, it's okay. We're gonna get through this together. I'm gonna be with you all through your trial. And Nat and Alex will be there, too. It's okay, Jack. It's okay."


	5. Trial

"Tell us what happened after you were shot," said Cindy.

Jack was on the stand testifying for his trial. He had already explained everything regarding his shooting in the squadroom, and Cindy decided to backtrack. Several other witnesses had been called by both Casey and Cindy, including Brendan, who was sitting in the audience with Nat and Alex. Jack was the last witness being called by Cindy before closing arguments would begin. Before he answered, Jack looked at Brendan, who nodded at him reassuringly.

"I woke up in the hospital and the Marshals were there. They told me that I was dead, officially, and that the only way to guarantee my survival would be to be placed into Witness Protection."

"How long were you in the Witness Protection Program?"

"Three years."

"What caused you to come back to New York?"

"Objection," yelled Casey, standing up. "Relevance?"

"Had my client not returned to New York, Your Honor, we wouldn't even be here today," Casey said to Judge Petrovsky.

"Overruled," Judge Petrovsky said, nodding. "You may answer the question, Mr. Gray."

Jack nodded before he answered. "I was told that the man who shot me, John Calvert, had been arrested by New York Police, and I was needed to testify against him. The police had lied under oath when they said I was dead, since they knew I wasn't, so I was the best chance for the prosecution to not lose its case."

"What risks did you face returning to New York, Jack?"

"I risked being attacked by any of Calvert's cronies. And I was attacked. Five of them jumped me the night before I was due to testify. I survived thanks to my friend Brendan's timely arrival. He dispatched of those men quickly and got me to the hospital."

"We've heard testimony from Brendan Hopkins, who claims he was also attacked by some of John Calvert's men. Are you aware of this?"

"Yes. As Brendan said, those men attacked his friend, Nat, and Brendan tried to put a stop to it when the leader of that group pulled a gun on him. He was only able to escape because the police arrived and managed to put a stop to the situation."

"And it was shortly after that incident that you decided to attack the men who attacked your friend?" Cindy asked, looking Jack directly in the eye.

"Yes," Jack said. "The next morning, I visited Brendan, Nat and Nat's brother, Alex, in the hospital and they told me what I happened. And that's when I decided to take revenge on Calvert's men."

"Jack, do you regret what you did in the Homicide Unit squadroom?"

Jack waited a moment before responding. "I think about it every single day. It haunts my dreams and most of my conscious thoughts. I've had trouble sleeping. I can't stop thinking about what I did and how sorry I am for what happened. I regret it every day. I'm sorry that it happened. I don't know what came over me," he said, turning to face the jury. "I can assure you the person who shot those people is not the person sitting in front of you now."

"Thank you, Jack," said Cindy in a quiet tone. "Your Witness," she added, turning to face Casey for a moment before walking back to the defense table.

Casey stood up and walked in front of where Jack was sitting.

"I apologize for all that you've been through involving John Calvert," she said with an air of sarcasm. "I'm sure we're all very moved by your ordeal."

"Do you have a question?" Jack asked in a confident tone.

"I do. Why not let the Criminal Justice System handle the case against the men who attacked your friend?"

"That wasn't good enough for me. I wanted to punish them for what they did."

"So you decided to commit murder."

"Objection! Leading!" Cindy called, standing.

"Sustained," Judge Petrovsky said in a bored voice. "Questions only, Miss Hoskinson."

Casey nodded. "Where did you get the gun, Mr. Gray?"

"I bought it from someone on the street."

"And who was that, Mr. Gray?" Casey asked, nearly cutting Jack off. "Who did you buy the gun from?"

"I don't know. I just found someone and bought the gun."

"So you admit that you illegally purchased the gun."

"Objection—" started Cindy.

"Withdrawn," Casey said, not missing a beat. "Now, Mr. Gray, when you arrived at the police station, you met with Detective Olivia Smith, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And you had her take you to their holding cells to see the men who had attacked your friend, is that right?"

"It is."

"And when you left, you saw Detective Smith walk back into the squadroom?"

"I did."

"We all know what happened next. You walked into the squadroom and shot three innocent men."

"Objection!" called Cindy.

"Three men nearly died because of your action, Mr. Gray, didn't you think about that before you shot them?" Casey said, speaking loudly over Cindy's attempts to object. "Or did you simply just shoot trying to get revenge?"

"That's all I wanted, then," Jack whispered. "I regret what happened."

"Really?" Casey said, still yelling over Cindy's attempts to object. "It seems to me that you just happen to regret it because you are on trial for murder!"

"Objection, Your Honor!" screamed Cindy.

"Enough!" Judge Petrovsky shouted, banging her gavel. "Miss Hoskinson, your questioning is totally out of line. If you keep it up, I will not hesitate to charge you with contempt!"

Casey nodded, looking annoyed.

"Nothing further," she said, walking back to the prosecutor's table.

"You may step down, Mr. Gray," Judge Petrovsky said, her tone returned to normal. Jack stood up from the stand and walked back over to where Cindy was sitting and sat down next to her.

Judge Petrovsky then allowed closing arguments to begin, which lasted for about half an hour. When Cindy was done, Judge Petrovsky dismissed the jury to deliberate. After the jury cleared the room, Jack stood up with Cindy and followed her out of the courtroom, where they met Brendan, Nat and Alex.

"What happens now?" Jack asked.

"The Jury will deliberate for as long as necessary and return with their verdict," replied Cindy.

"How long does that take?"

"It depends on the case. If it takes a while, don't think too much of it. It can mess with your head."

"Are you okay?" Brendan asked.

Jack nodded. "I'll be fine. I'm just glad you guys are here."

"Of course!" said Nat.

"Yeah, you need some people who got your back, I mean, besides Cindy," added Alex.

"We're here for you, Jack," Brendan said. "For better or for worse, we are here for you. We'll stay with you until this is over." 


	6. Final Act

"Jury's back with your verdict, Jack," said Cindy, poking her head into the room where Jack was waiting with Brendan, Nat and Alex.

"Thanks, Cindy, we'll be right out," Jack replied.

Cindy nodded and closed the door. Jack turned to Brendan and looked at his friend, hesitating.

"Are you all right?" Brendan asked.

"I don't know."

"You'll be fine," said Nat.

"Yeah, it's all over soon after this, isn't it?" added Alex.

"In theory, yeah," Jack said. "I mean it will be over legally, but people will talk."

"Since when have you cared what other people thought about you?" asked Brendan. "I mean, besides me," he added, nudging Jack playfully on the arm.

Jack grinned. "I know. I just don't want people thinking I'm just some thuggish kid who wants to shoot whoever pisses him off."

"Forget them. I know who you are, Jack. And so do these guys," Brendan said. Nat and Alex nodded in agreement.

Jack nodded with them and stood up. "All right, let's get this over with."

He led them out of the room and back into the courtroom. They took their seats in the audience chambers while Jack took his spot next to Cindy at the defense table. They all waited while the jury filed back into the room and stood up when Judge Petrovsky entered the room. When she was seated, everyone else sat down. Judge Petrovsky turned to face the jury.

"Have you reached a verdict?" she asked, speaking to the foreman.

"We have, Your Honor," replied the foreman, a middle-aged woman.

"The defendant will rise," Judge Petrovsky said, looking over at Jack and Cindy. They stood up quickly before she returned her gaze back to the foreman.

"On the first count of the indictment, attempted murder in the first degree of Edward Benitez, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

Jack breathed a momentary sigh of relief before Judge Petrovsky continued.

"On the second count, attempted murder in the first degree of Fred Baker, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

"On count three, attempted murder in the first degree of James Skinner, how do you find?"

"Not guilty."

Jack was nearly swelling with relief after the foreman read that verdict. However, he kept his relief hidden from his face and instead looked at the foreman blankly as Judge Petrovsky continued.

"On the fourth and final count, illegal possession of a firearm, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant…guilty," the foreman said.

Jack's heart sunk, but Cindy put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"The state of New York thanks the jury for its services," Judge Petrovsky said. "You are excused. Jack Michael Wells," she added, turning to face Jack and Cindy. "You are hereby found guilty of possessing a firearm. Due to the lack of a severe crime, I do not think any jail time is necessary. However, I am going to consider putting you on probation, pending sentencing. Your sentencing will take place one week from today. Until then, this court is adjourned."

Judge Petrovsky banged her gavel and exited the bench. Cindy turned to face Jack, who looked worried.

"What do you think will happen?" he asked.

"Knowing Judge Petrovsky," Cindy said, "you'll probably just get the probation she mentioned and maybe some community service. Nothing too severe."

When Jack didn't look reassured, Cindy smiled at him. "Jack, relax. It's all over now."

Jack nodded and hugged her. He walked over to his friends and embraced them in a hug that seemed to last a lifetime. When they finally broke apart, Brendan grinned at Jack.

"It's all over now. You can live your life, Jack," he said.

"I can't believe it," Jack said. "Listen, Nat, Alex, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you."

"Of course," Nat said.

"I want to record a song. I don't mind if it doesn't get released or anything, I just want to do it."

"Yeah, we'll help you with it," said Nat, nodding. "Would you want us to play the instruments for you?"

"That would be great. And Brendan," Jack said, turning to his best friend. "I want you to sing it with me."

"I will," Brendan said. "What song is it?"

"One of our favorites. _Anywhere_ by Evanescence."

"And why that one?" asked Brendan.

"You know how much I love it. And I know how much you do, too. I want to have a little piece of you wherever I go, even if it's just a duet song on my iPod."

Brendan grinned. "I'll record it with you," he said before turning to Nat and Alex. "How quickly can you guys get the rest of the band to the studio?"

"I'll call Cooper and have him get the band there now," Nat said.

"I'll find music for the song as soon as we get there," added Alex.

"Thank you guys," Jack said, sounding close to tears. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Of course, Jack. Now come on, we've got a car outside waiting to take us wherever we need to go. Detectives Smith and Lewis are supposed to escort us outside to make sure the press doesn't go too crazy with us."

Jack nodded and followed Brendan from the courtroom, with Nat and Alex in tow. They met Olivia and Chase outside the courtroom and followed the officers outside, where an unmarked car was waiting. As expected, dozens of media people were trying to get at them, so they tried to hurry to enter the car. Brendan head for the rear passenger side of the car while Jack walked around to the opposite side to get in. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a loud bang.

Everyone in the area screamed and dived to the ground, except for Jack, who stumbled backward into the car window, smashing it with his body and falling to the ground. Blood was spurting from his left shoulder — he had been shot. Brendan screamed when he saw Jack fall and stumbled out of the car. He ran over to where Jack lay, bleeding and starting to hyperventilate.

"Jack!" he shouted. "Jack! Oh my god!" He bent down next to Jack and put pressure on the wound. Jack's rapid breathing slowed down when Brendan was beside him; he seemed to calm down once he saw Brendan. Nat and Alex crawled over to them from where they had jumped to the ground.

"What happened?" Alex shrieked.

"He was shot," Brendan yelled back.

Olivia and Chase suddenly appeared by their side, their own guns drawn.

"Jack, are you all right?" Olivia demanded, bending down to examine him.

"He got clipped in the shoulder," Brendan explained.

"Where did the shot come from?" asked Chase.

"I didn't see it," Brendan cried, returning his full attention to Jack. "It's okay, Jack. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he added in a soothing voice.

"Liv, up there!" Chase said, pointing to the top of a building across the street. "Looks like a vantage point for a sniper."

Olivia nodded. "You all stay here. Don't let anyone else near Jack. An ambulance is on its way and will be here in a few minutes," she said before standing up and running after Chase.

Brendan looked at Nat and Alex with desperation in his eyes.

"Brendan, we're okay," Nat reassured him. "Jack, how is he?"

Brendan looked back down at Jack, who was whimpering in pain. Brendan kept pressure on the wound, but grabbed one of Jack's hands with his others. He felt Jack squeeze back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think he's okay," Brendan whispered back to Nat and Alex.

* * *

Two hours later, Brendan, Nat and Alex were finally allowed to see Jack. The doctor who had greeted them when they arrived had told them that none of Jack's vital organs were damaged and that the bullet was through and through. Jack should make a full recovery.

When the entered the room, they found Jack with his arm in a sling. He seemed to be in good spirits.

"Hey, how you feeling?" asked Brendan when they entered the room.

"Sore," Jack replied. "My shoulder is in a lot of pain, but other than that, I'm okay. What about you guys? Did any of you get hurt?"

"No," Brendan said, shaking his head. "As soon as we heard the shot, we all ducked down to the ground."

"There were no other shots," added Nat.

"What happened after I got hit?"

"You don't remember?" asked Alex. Jack shook his head.

"I rushed over to you and put pressure on the wound," Brendan explained. "Nat and Alex came over to check on you and Olivia and Chase were there right after that. They ran off to see if they could get the shooter. They called just a little bit ago and said they got him."

"Who is it?" Jack asked.

"Funny you should ask," came a gruff voice from behind them. Brendan, Nat and Alex turned around and saw an elderly man dressed in an official looking outfit standing in the doorframe.

"Agent Donovan," Brendan said with an air of sarcasm. "You had better not be here for what I think you're here for."

"I'm afraid I am," Agent Donovan said, strolling into the room.

"No, you can't take him again. What if I never see him again?"

"It's for his own protection," Donovan said. "And yours."

"Brendan, what's going on?" asked Nat.

"Nat, Alex," Brendan said. "This is Agent Donovan, the lead investigator on Calvert's case and the man who placed Jack in witness protection."

"And I'm here to do the same," Donovan said irritably.

"Why?" Jack asked, finally speaking since Donovan entered the room.

"For your protection, Jack," Donovan said. "After what happened today, we decided that the best way to ensure your survival is to get you moved to another location."

Jack sighed. "How long?"

"As long as necessary. We think it shouldn't be as long as you last stint. It will only take as long as the trial against the three men you shot takes, for their assault on your friends. We believe that once they are put away, you will no longer be in harm."

"And why is that?" Jack asked.

"A brother of Benitez is the person who shot you a few hours ago. Once Benitez and the others are put away, we'll consider bringing you back here."

"Fine. When do you need me?"

"Jack, no!" Brendan said.

"Brendan, it's okay. It's only for a little bit. And if Donovan wants me to do this again, he'll have to honor this one request."

"And what is that?" Donovan asked, annoyed.

"Let me stay until at least tomorrow night. This way I can do something I want to do to keep the memories of my friends with me at all times."

Donovan looked like he would argue, but saw the determination in Jack's eyes and decided against it.

"Fine. You have until 11 p.m. tomorrow night to put your affairs in order. I will come and collect you wherever you are. Be ready to go."

* * *

The following evening, Jack sat in the recording studio with Brendan, Nat, Alex and the rest of the band. There was about two hours to go until Jack would have to leave with Agent Donovan to his new location. The band had spent the day learning the music to the song Jack wanted to record. Once everything was ready and they had rehearsed a few times, they entered the studio to record it.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Cooper, from the master control room.

"We're good," Nat replied while everyone else nodded.

"You're on. Go ahead and start whenever."

The music started playing. After about twenty seconds of music building, Jack broke in with the opening lyrics to _Anywhere_ by Evanescence.

"Dear my love, haven't you wanted to be with me," he sang. "And dear my love, haven't you longed to be free? I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you. And at sweet night, you are my own. Take my hand."

At that, Brendan jumped in with Jack and together they sang the chorus.

"We're leaving here tonight," they sang. Meanwhile, the rest of the band echoed their lyrics. "There's no need to tell anyone. They'd only hold us down. So by the morning's light, we'll be halfway to anywhere, where love is more than just your name."

Jack continued the next verse on his own. "I have dreamt of a place for you and I. No one knows who we are there. All I want is to give my life only to you. I've dreamt so long, I cannot dream anymore. Let's run away, I'll take you there."

While Jack carried the final lyric of that verse, Brendan cut in with his vocals and they sang a different version of the chorus.

"We're leaving here tonight," Brendan sang before Jack joined him again. "There's no need to tell anyone. They'd only hold us down. So by the morning's light, we'll be halfway to anywhere, where no one needs a reason."

"Forget this life," Jack sang alone, "come with me, don't look back you're safe now. Unlock you heart, drop your guard, no one's left to stop you."

"Forget this life," they sang together, "come with me, don't look back you're safe now. Unlock your heart, drop your guard, no one's left to stop you now."

For nearly a minute, the band played loudly before transitioning into the final chorus, which Jack and Brendan practically screamed.

"We're leaving here tonight!" they sang. "There's no need to tell anyone, they'd only hold us down. So by the morning's light, we'll be halfway to anywhere, where love is more than just your name."

They both carried the final note for several seconds before letting the band take over the rest of the song. The music gradually faded out before finally silencing. When the song was over, the band all looked at one another, nodding and grinning.

"Thank you, everyone," Jack said, overcome by smiles. "That's going to mean so much to me when I leave."

"Of course, Jack," Nat said as the rest of the band packed up and left the recording room.

"Yeah, that was fun," Alex added.

Jack nodded. "That it was." He then turned to Brendan, who was sitting next to him. "Thank you for singing with me," he said.

"You don't have to thank me," Brendan replied. "You will always have all of me."


End file.
